Methi-Paneer Rice and FAHC

Left over rice who doesn’t have ?  Last week we had been busy with events at office and cultural events over the weekend from our sangha in Singapore. Admidst of our kids final exams for non-tamil- speaking kids (hindi/gujrathi….). Generally getting home late not eating enough or eating most junk ended up lot of food were leftovers. leftover rice with sambhar or rasam is not the one likeable if the quantity of rice is a large bowl, even wasting a morsel of rice could which could have helped a little child to fulfill his hunger many of them who just have one meal a day.  Its tough to make understand  these values to our kids not to waste food.

Coming back to food making a family happy with the food at the same time satisfaction of not wasting food at my home is only attained by using left over rice for fried rice, chitraanna, masalebhath….

Last week I happen to get fresh methi, palak and gogura leaves which were irresistable same time i get all the fresh ones and its makes really hard for me to decide which one to cook. So my family is been having continuous green dishes with palak panneer, Gongura pachadi, Moolangi palya and now its methi rice. All are our favorites now I need to be lucky to get so fresh too esp the methi leaves. 

All you need
Cooked rice - 2 cups
methi leaves - 1 bunch
paneer cubes - 1 cup
Black Chick peas/ Kala chana boiled - 1 cup
Capsicum cut lengthwise - 1
potatoes cubed and boiled - 1 cup
onions cut lengthwise - 1 big
Vangibhath powder - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
cloves - 4-5
green chillies(optional)
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
channa dhall - 1tsp
urad dhall - 1 tsp
ground nuts - 10-15
Asafoteida/hing - 1/8 tsp
Amchur/Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
salt and sugar to taste

Method

•  Sprig out the leaves from the stems of Methi/fenugreek

• Wash in salt water and let the water strain out

• Heat oil in Kadai, add groundnuts, channa dhall, cinnamon stick, cloves wait for a while until they change color

• Add the remaining unrad dhall, mustard, hing. Fry oinions and chillies once the mustard splutter

• Add the methi leaves and fry until they are cooked once the leaves wilt there will a lot of  water just continue frying on medium to high flame

• Add caspsicum, boiled potatoes, paneer cubes, kala chana salt, vangibhath powder and amchur powder and fry until all are blended well

• Continue frying on high flame until the masala flavours into the dish

• Mix the left over rice, stir well and serve hot with raita of your choice.

 

Heres moolangi palya, vegetable fry with radish and radish greens garnished with grated coconut.

Before I take leave few words on FAHC as i was writing this post i recieved an email from Indira of FAHC funding take a look

feedahungrychild.org is a not-for-profit charitable organization formed in a collaborative effort of the like-minded people from all around the world.  It aims to replace the empty plates of the underprivileged children and replace them with ones of food.  While FAHC addresses the holistic needs of each children it supports, it believes illiteracy, malnutrition, and other concerns can only be addressed when hunger is appeased.

Immediate Mission:

• Join the fight against global poverty.
• Help feed hungry children one by one.

Larger Vision: feeahungrychild.org aims to improve the lives of a good many underprivileged children in their efforts to support themselves, their families, and their communities by giving them the chance for better food, better education, better healthcare, and other welfare.

To contribute by donating smilies/chipin please visit FeedaHungryChild also visit Indira’s Mahanandi for details of how this event works.

Thank You

Pulav series, Chutney and Bean Sprouts Pakoda

After long i remembered mung(green gram) sprouts Pulav, which was some years ago one of out favorite pulav’s not so even now but just some how i forgot about it until lately i saw Asha’s post on matki pulav i recollected the recipe. i have used green mung bean sprouts you can use matki beans or Green chana.Heres information of mung bean

All you need:

green bean sprouts - 1 cup ( soaked for 1 day and leave to sprout for 2 days)

basmati rice - 2 cups soaked for half an hour

masala: coconut grated - 1/2 cup, green chillies - 4,coriander leaves - 1 cup, garlic pods - 6, ginger - 1″

tempering: cinamon - 1 stick, cloves - 5, badi elachi - 1, bay leaves- 2, onion - 1 big sliced, ghee/oil for frying

Garnish: coriander leaves and lemon juice

method

• Make a paste of the masala keep aside
• Heat oil/ghee in pressure pan , add the tempering fry onions until slightly browned
• Add masala paste, turmeric powder and fry until good aroma
• Add rice and fry for 2 minutes
• Add sprouts, vegetables(optional), water, salt and pressure cook for 2 whistles
• mix lemon juice, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with cucumber raita

Lauki/Milk gourd peel chutney

This chutney can be made with tender peels of bottle gourd/milk gourd/cucumber. The use of skin olden times were very precious unlike now we are at haste and little do we make use of them. 

All you need

sorekayi/lauki skin - 1 cup, cumin seeds - 1tsp, fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp,

coconut grated - 1 cup, dry chillies - 5, salt and tamarind to taste

Tempering: mustard seeds -1 tsp, hing - a pinch, curry leaves and oil required

Method: Fry all the ingrediants seperately except coconut show in the picture. Grind it with salt and tamarind paste. Prepare the tempering and serve

 

 

 

Bean Sprouts Pakoda

This is a little similar to the kanda bhaji that we prepare using onions. Using sprouts leads to very crisp pakodas. I came upon this when one of our guest would not like onions here is the type of sprouts used

 

All you need: bean spouts - 2 cups cut into halves, spring onion stalks- 1 bunch cut finely, onion- 1 big cut into thin long strips, gram flour -4 tbsp, rice flour - 1 tbsp, corn flour - 1 tbsp, salt and sugar - 1/2 tsp, chilli powder - 2 tsp, mint and coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

method: mix bean sprouts, onions, spring onions stalks, salt and and sugar keep aside for 5 mins. Salt and sugar with onions release water now add remaining ingrediants and mix well. mix the flours as required using the water released from veges. Deep fry in oil until crisp.

ಮೇತಿ ಪನೀರ್/Methi Paneer with Rajma

After long time again i was in time to get some fresh methi leaves last week. Being sunday i can’t just be doing normal methi sambhar or fry, it must be some tangy curry that goes for puris/parotas.  So i thought of mixing methi with one can of kidney beans which had been lying for quite a few months. I mixed up to be in favour of all our of us kidney beans for my H, paneer for kids and methi well for me …. the curry turned out quite tasty than expected.

All you need

methi /fenugreek leaves - 1 bunch

kidney beans - 1 can

paneer/cottage cheese cut into cubes - 1 cup

ginger paste - 2 tsp

garlic paste - 2 tsp

onion  cut finely - 1

1 onion and 2 tomatoes made into paste

milk - 1/4 cup

cream - 1 tbsp

corainder powder - 1 tbsp

kitchen king masala - 1 tbsp

chilli powder - 2 tsp

salt to taste

• Take a kadai het oil, add (anise, cloves, bay leaves, cinamon stick) fry until nice aromo spreads
• add onions and fry until tansclucent.
• Add ginger garlic paste fry remove raw smell
• Add washed methi leaves, fry until the leaves wilt
• Add tomato onion paste, masala powders, salt and let the mixture simmer for few minutes
• Add kidney beans, do a taste check let the mixture come to boiling point now add paneer cubes either fried/baked.(I do not fry or bake i use as it is)
• Add milk and stir for few secs and mix cream and turn off fire.
• Serve hot with puris/parotas/chapatis

note: Canned kidney beans has sugar and salt.

CholeMasala

This is one of my favorite side dish for pooris and baturas. There is very funny but yet to say a initiative to try new recipes.  This was during the first fews months after my marriage, i had an immense liking to try new recipes. At that time there was one cooking series at the local channel and that week hosted for one type of cholle I can’t remember the name. The recipe called for using tamarind paste. Due to my interest I did not want to go wrong with this dish so i recorded the whole procedure. But to my utter disappointment i ended up with a very very sour cholle. My H ended up pouring water and even then the sourness was dominating. I ended up throwing the whole cholle .  This made me realise i can watch/read cooking series does not mean i have to follow exact measurements of the all with blogging it is different. What we see may not be used and also the variations is different quality of ingrediants used, gives us different tastes and also matters on individuals.

Until today when i prepare this dish my H never forgets to refresh us with those days .

 All you need

Chick peas - 1 cup(soaked overnight and boiled until soft)

potato - 1(boiled)

onion- 1(cut finely)

cholle masala(everest) - 2 tsp

turmeric powder - 1 tsp

pav bhaji masala- 1 tsp

fennel seed powder - 1 tsp

coriander powder - 1tsp

chilli powder - 1 tsp(optional)

garlic paste - 2 cubes

ginger paste - 2 cubes

paste1

corainder leaves - 1 tbsp

mint leaves - 1 tbsp

green chillies - 1tsp

paste 2

onion- 1

tomato - 2 ( depending on sourness)

coriander leaves for garnishing

 

• Take a kadai , add whole garam masala cloves/cinnamon/star anise, fry until nice aroma spreads

• add cut onions fry until translucent, add ginger garlic paste fry until raw smell disappears

• Add onion- tomato paste , add all the dry powders fry until the oil releases

• Now add mashed potato, boiled chick peas add 2 glass of water and salt . Check for taste.

• Simmer the mixer until a thick gravy forms, now add the coriander-mint-chilli paste let it mix with the rest and boil for another 2-3 mintes.

• Serve with puris/baturas/parotas.

 

ಕಡಲೆ ಬೇಳೆ ಹೋಳಿಗೆ/Puran Poli

Holige is commonly prepared during ugadi/Deepavali. The afternoon before the festive is day the women folks would be very busy preparing this delicious holige. Now we can even get in bakeries but the texture is thin and fine.

I remember when i was a child along with my sister would sit along with my mum and her loving sisters, who would chit chat with a lot of fun wow those were the days we all miss. one would make the kanaka with the hoorna, one would roll it and the other would bake it. As it falls to paper spread to cool it would just vanish guess who .

At the end we would always ask my mom can i bake one please…. and once they let us bake small small rotis with the remaining kanaka and we would take them and run to play with our kitchen set.

It has nearly been 2 years since i prepared holige, at first i thought hope it does not end up a failure.  well i would advise not to skip the step of grinding the dhalls as dhall looks cooked well but at times if have not mashed well you would end up getting holes in the holige .

Samagri

Hoorna

channa dhall - 2.5 cups

toor dhall - 1/2 cup

grated coconut - 1/2 cup(optional)

poppy seeds - 1 tbsp

cardamom powder - 1 tsp

nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp

jaggery - 3 cups

For covering/kanaka

plain flour - 2 cups

wheat flour - 1/2 cup

turmeric powder - 1 tsp

salt and water

oil - 1 -2 tbsp

Hoorna preparation

• Wash both the dhalls and pressure cook for 6 whistles

• Strain the water from the cooked dhalls used for preparation of holige saaru

• Check the dhalls mash well until mushy to make it easy i grind it with jaggery

• After mashing add powdered jaggery if not added.

• If the hoorna is wet keep the mixture on fire on medium heat until the consistensy of the hoorna is reached

• The hoorna should be semi dry when formed a ball it should retain the shape like for  aloo parathas.

• Add nutmeg,elachi powder, poppy seeds, grated coconut and mix well

• Once cooled make into lemon sized balls

Kanaka preparation

• Mix maida and wheat flour with salt, turmeric powder and water

• knead the dough well the dough should be soft and sticky

• add oil to the dough and cover with a wet cloth let it rest for 2 hours.

Preparation of holige

• Take a plastic paper/banana leaf /even paper is fine

• applying some oil to your hands take some kanaka make it flat like we make for parathas

• take a lemon sizes hoorna cover it all sides uniformly

• Roll the holige applying some maida flour to roll

• heat a non stick girdle bake the holige until golden brown on both sides.

• serve with ghee/milk/sugar syrup as your taste